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Topic: Virgin Mobile - Broadband to Go (Read 3192 times)

To have some redundancy and mobile internet I purchased the Virgin Mobile U600 3G/4G USB Stick. Its a cellular internet modem that plugs into your computer's USB port and connects to the internet through the cell phone system.

Don't bother, customer support will help you get your device activated and get your money, but that's where their expertise really ends. Their English is terrible and they will tell you that you will have 4G coverage when you clearly know you will not. Such as in a community where the nearest cell tower is 25 air miles away. They also will tell you that your device isn't currently working because their is a "system-wide network failure currently being worked on by technicians", but your buddy next to you has the same device and is surfing away. I guess if your lucky enough to get one of these devices working, its a good deal, but when it starts to give you install errors and the website keeps giving you errors during the activation process, just go get your money back. You can easily lose a days work fidgeting with the Virgin Mobile 3G/4G USB Stick

Sorry you had trouble. I did not have that experience; overall, it has been positive.

I have been using the 3G version of Broadband2GO since it came out, in 2010 I think. $40/month for unlimited usage (I don't think new users get that deal). I carry it with me all the time. I use it at work to listen to talk radio (our network has draconian firewall limitations). I use it when we are out and about to get internet coverage.

I haven't used that product, but I have a bit of experience with USB and wireless networking, worked for the Geek Squad for 3 years.

What operating system are you using on your computer?I have notice lots of problems trying to use a USB WiFi stick with anything older than Windows XP.

Did you try updating your USB drivers?If not search "Your computer model number USB driver" Find the most recent one, download and install.

How is your computer running overall?spyware / bloatware wtf-ever they want to call it can bog your system down and cause it to run low on resources. This can lead to packet loss, high blood pressure, and the need to smash something. This is usually most noticeable at start up, takes a long time to get going, and when connecting to the internet. All the little bastard programs try to, "phone home" at once and can cause a crash.

If your buddy has one and is able to use his next to you no problem it is most likely a problem with your computer. To verify this have your buddy use your USB stick. If it works on his computer it's, your computer not the device. If it doesn't work on his computer it's the device.

The best solution to a slow computer is to back up your important data, do a clean format / install of the OS. Update all drivers, remove all BS software then re-install the device. I recommend a back up / restore once a year to my friends, it's amazing how much faster your computer will be after this, it's generally hard to notice it getting slower and slower over time.

I decided to try it again so I called Virgin Mobile once more. The problem actually turned out to be that when I had called in the first time they had entered my device's serial number incorrectly in their system. This was probably just a human error on my part or theirs. They corrected the device serial number and the device started working as it should. Connection speed was pretty good all things considered.

The report that the network was down the first time I called in is still suspect and the language barrier was still an issue during the second call. But the problem did get resolved on the second attempt.